Roster Moves: Noesen, Barberio, Mueller
The Anaheim Ducks have decided to bring up Stefan Noesen from the San Diego Gulls today as Rickard Rakell missed the morning skate with an upper-body injury. Noesen is a big, angry winger who can contribute at both ends of the ice but has faced injury throughout his young professional career. Selected in the first round in 2011, Noesen has only played in 116 games over the past three and a half seasons but is fully healthy and ready to make an impact at the NHL level. He’s played two games on emergency call-ups in the past, but was held scoreless in each. This year he’s collected 11 points and 28 penalty minutes in 18 AHL contests.
- Mark Barberio has been sent back to the AHL by the Montreal Canadiens after six games with the big club. The 26-year old defenseman recorded a single assist and four penalty minutes in his time up with the club and will now wait for his next chance. A veteran of 139 NHL games, Barberio hasn’t been able to carve out a spot for himself with the Canadiens since signing as a free agent in 2015. The move likely means that Nathan Beaulieu is ready to come back after taking a puck to the throat two weeks ago.
- The Canadiens have also sent Charles Hudon down to the AHL. Hudon had been called up earlier this season but suffered a broken sternum in practice on November 25th and was placed on injured reserve. The young forward played in just three games and recorded two assists prior to the injury.
- While the Canadiens send down a defender, the San Jose Sharks have brought one up. The team recalled Mirco Mueller today though it’s not clear what the corresponding move will be. The 21-year old Mueller was the Sharks first-round pick in 2013 (#18th overall) and broke in as a youngster in 2014-15 before spending most of last year in the AHL for more seasoning. In 16 AHL contests this year, Mueller has six assists and six penalty minutes. The Swiss-born defender has drawn rave reviews for his calm, safe play in his own end and is expected to develop an offensive game as he matures.
- In Pittsburgh, the Penguins have sent both Jake Guentzel and Derrick Pouliot to Wilker-Barre/Scranton ahead of their matchup Thursday against the Florida Panthers. As Bill West of TribLive reports, the Penguins didn’t want their young players just sitting on the sideline. While Guentzel and Pouliot have been held out of the lineup for different reasons, they’ve played just six games combined in the NHL this season and at 22-years old can still benefit from the added ice time in the minors. Pouliot, coming back from a lower-body injury had recently completed a conditioning stint with the WBS Penguins and will now likely skate on their top pairing.
Linus Arnesson Out 3-6 Months With Achilles Surgery
According to Mark Divver of the Providence Journal, Boston Bruins prospect Linus Arnesson will undergo Achilles surgery on Thursday and has been given a timeline of three to six months for his recovery. The defenseman suffered the injury on Saturday against the Springfield Thunderbirds in a 3-2 loss.
Arnesson has yet to make his debut for the Bruins since being drafted in the second round in 2013, but has slowly developed into a solid shutdown type that was knocking at the NHL door. The 22-year old played several years at the highest level in Sweden before coming over to suit up for the baby-Bruins two seasons ago.
For a Bruins team that has seen various injuries to Zdeno Chara, John-Michael Liles, Joe Morrow and Kevan Miller this season, having Arnesson as deep insurance was a luxury. Now the team will have to look elsewhere if injury strikes again. The young defender will also lose out on crucial development time as he comes to the end of his entry-level deal. He’ll be a restricted free agent for the first time this offseason.
Injury Updates: Staal, Jets, Lazar, Bennett, Neal
The Carolina Hurricanes got some bad news on the injury front as Jordan Staal’s skating session on Monday did not go as well as expected and as a result, he is not expected to accompany the team on their West Coast trip, reports Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News and Observer.
Staal has been out of the lineup since November 27th because of a concussion. He’s in his fifth season with the Hurricanes and has nine points (5-4-9) through 21 games so far this season. In the meantime, Teuvo Teravainen will continue to fill Staal’s role as the second line center having shifted over from the left wing.
Still with Carolina, forward Elias Lindholm, who has missed the last two games with a lower body injury, practiced with a non-contact jersey today. Although he likely won’t be ready for their next game, he is expected to play at some point on the road trip.
Other injury news from around the league:
- In a series of four tweets, Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun provided updates on several injured Winnipeg Jets. Leading scorer Mark Scheifele (lower body) won’t play tonight against Detroit but skated today and is progressing well. Defenseman Tyler Myers skated for the first time today since suffering a lower body injury nearly four weeks ago but their remains no timetable for his return. Center Nic Petan, who has seven points in 13 games since being recalled, is out for another couple of weeks for his lower body issue. As for right winger Joel Armia (knee), he’s expected to return sometime in mid-to-late December while center Shawn Matthias (lower body) will be out a little longer as his tentative return date is closer to early January.
- Senators forward Curtis Lazar is out indefinitely with an upper body injury suffered last night against the Penguins, notes Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen. The team announced via Twitter that Phil Varone has been recalled from their AHL affiliate in Binghamton to take his place. (Also recalled was goalie Andrew Hammond as Craig Anderson is taking another leave of absence.) Varone has 13 points in 18 minor league games this season and led all forwards in the league in preseason scoring. TSN’s Darren Dreger adds (Twitter link) that the injury isn’t believed to be too serious.
- The Devils announced (via Twitter) that they have activated right winger Beau Bennett off of injured reserve. He has missed the last three games due to a right leg laceration. To make room for him on the roster, the team assigned center John Quenneville back to Albany of the AHL.
- Predators left winger James Neal skated with teammates for the first time since suffering an upper body injury on November 25th against Winnipeg, writes Adam Vingan of The Tennessean. Evidently, everything checked out well as Vingan tweets that the team has activated him off of IR and that he is expected to play tonight against Colorado.
Blues Place Robert Bortuzzo On IR, Activate Joel Edmundson
Robert Bortuzzo’s tough luck with the injury bug this season continues. The Blues announced that they have placed the blueliner on the injured reserve list with a lower body injury and that they will re-evaluate his condition in six weeks. It’s the second time already this year that Bortuzzo has been on the IR with a lower body issue as he missed nine games from late October to mid-November as well.
This season, the 27 year old has played in 11 games with St. Louis, scoring a goal and an assist while playing just under 14 minutes per game on the third pairing. He’s in his third season with the Blues since being acquired from the Penguins back in March of 2015 in exchange for fellow blueliner Ian Cole.
Likely taking Bortuzzo’s spot in the lineup will be Joel Edmundson, who was activated today off the IR after missing the last 12 games with an upper body injury. He’s in his second NHL season and has suited up for the Blues 13 times this year, picking up an assist and 17 penalty minutes while averaging 15:04 of ice time per night.
[Related: Blues Depth Chart]
Matt Beleskey Out Six Weeks
Boston left winger Matt Beleskey will miss the next six weeks with a right knee injury sustained on a hip check from Taylor Fedun on Saturday against the Sabres, the team announced.
Beleskey is off to a quiet start in his second season with the Bruins, collecting just two goals and three assists in 24 games despite averaging more than 15 minutes of ice time per game. Last year, he posted a career high in points with 37 in 80 games.
The injury should open up a spot for Ryan Spooner on Boston’s third line left wing, at least in the short-term. Spooner is believed to be on the trade block after a sluggish start to the season, one that has seen him collect nine points through 25 games. Frank Vatrano, who is still believed to be a couple of weeks away from returning from a foot injury, also should garner some consideration for that spot in the lineup when he gets the green light to play.
[Related: Bruins Depth Chart]
The Bruins are close to getting a bit of good news on the injury front though as right winger Noel Acciari practiced with the team for the first time on Monday since suffering a lower body injury back in early November, notes CSN New England’s Joe Haggerty. While he won’t directly slot into Beleskey’s spot, he’ll undoubtedly add some energy to Boston’s fourth line when he returns.
Matt Read To Miss Four Weeks With Upper-Body Injury
After being pulled out of Sunday’s game in the first period, the Philadelphia Flyers have announced that Matt Read will be out for at least four weeks with an upper-body injury. Previously reported as an oblique strain, the forward will now be out until after Christmas.
After a disappointing 2015-16 that saw Read register only 26 points in 79 games, the 30-year old winger got off to a blistering start this season scoring five goals in his first five games. Since then though, he’s only put up five more points in 22 games despite still seeing a solid share of ice time. The former 20-goal scorer hadn’t lit the lamp in fourteen games going into Sunday, in which he left after just three shifts.
Currently in the third year of the four-year, $14.5MM deal he signed prior to the 2013-14 season, Read was supposed to be a solid secondary scoring threat on a team desperate for them. He was successful in that first season, but has seen his production drop in each following year. Now dealing with an oblique injury, he’ll miss at least a dozen games and likely need some time to shake off the rust after that. In what looked at one point like a strong bounce-back season, it’s now looking like another year in his decline.
For the Flyers, who find themselves on a five game winning streak that’s pushed them back into the playoff picture, this likely means the return of either Boyd Gordon or Scott Laughton to the lineup. While Gordon has been on injured reserve since the beginning of November, he’s closing in on a return date. The younger Laughton however provides a bit more offensive upside and potential, and has been stuck in the press box for much of the season.
Alex Galchenyuk Out Indefinitely With Lower-Body Injury
With the Montreal Canadiens leading the Atlantic Division by four points, everything seemed to be going well for the club. Not so fast, as the team announced today that Alex Galchenyuk will be out indefinitely after suffering a lower-body injury last night in Los Angeles. While the young forward traveled with the club to St. Louis, he underwent various tests today that have ruled him out for the immediate future.
The injury occurred on a collision with Anze Kopitar in the 5-4 win over the Kings last night, with Galchenyuk leaving the game immediately. Renaud Lavoie of TVA reports that it’s his right leg and he obviously won’t play on Tuesday.
Galchenyuk played all 82 games for the Habs last season, registering his first 30-goal season of his career and establishing himself as a legitimate star in the league. Off to an even better start this year, the 22-year old has 23 points in 25 games and is in the mix among league leaders. A huge part of the Canadiens’ offense, Galchenyuk has been moved back to his natural center position this year and though his play has improved, he has been a dreadful 39.5% on draws.
The third-overall pick in 2012 (behind Nail Yakupov and Ryan Murray), Galchenyuk is another young US-born center thriving in the league. While this injury could obviously be only a few days, if it stretches far into the season the Canadiens will have to look elsewhere for their offense both 5-on-5 and with a man advantage.
Derek Dorsett To Undergo Neck Surgery
2:38pm: Darren Dreger of TSN reports that Dorsett will be out for the season following the surgery. The hop is that following a full recovery the Canucks forward will be ready for the start of the 2017-18 season.
1:06pm: Vancouver Canucks forward Derek Dorsett will undergo cervical fusion surgery to repair disc degeneration in his neck. While it’s not clear when exactly the surgery will take place, or how long Dorsett will be sidelined, this is just the latest episode in a nightmare season for the Canucks.
Dorsett last played for the Canucks on November 17th, but was put on the injured reserve with a reported shoulder injury. This is the first we’ve heard of a degenerative neck injury. Obviously, any surgery usually comes with a lengthy recovery period, but it’s unclear how invasive the procedure will be and what kind of timeline will be established for Dorsett’s return. The 29-year old (who turns 30 on the 20th) has four points in fourteen games this season playing his usual high-energy, aggressive style.
For the 11-12-2 Canucks, they’ve actually started to turn around their season of late after a dreadful start. With four wins in their last six games they’ve pulled to within four points of the Los Angeles Kings and Winnipeg Jets for the wild card spots in the Western Conference. While losing Dorsett isn’t a game-changer for the team, it does take more depth away from a team desperate for a playoff berth. For now, they’ll have to move on without him and find another body to inject that energy and passion to the bottom-six.
Alberta Notes: Gaudreau, McDavid
Johnny Gaudreau‘s surprising return from a broken finger boosted the Calgary Flames in a big way.
Initially expected to be out until after Christmas, Gaudreau returned three weeks early in time for last night’s game against the Anaheim Ducks. He played on a line with Sam Bennett and Alex Chiasson. Wearing a newly-reinforced glove, Gaudreau scored on his first shot on his first shift, on his way to a two-point night in an 8-3 beatdown of the Ducks.
He also assisted on Chiasson’s second period goal, which was the second of three goals the Flames scored in just 1:27 to go up 4-1. Gaudreau played just thirty seconds less than his season-average, so there doesn’t appear to be much rust on him, despite missing just under three weeks.
The Ducks were playing their second game in two nights, having lost to the Oilers in overtime the night before. After John Gibson allowed three goals in the overtime loss to the Oilers, Jonathan Bernier was left in for all eight goals against the Flames. Post-game, Ducks coach Randy Carlyle was very specific when explaining decision by saying Gibson had a very specific flu-symptom and couldn’t go in the game.
Speaking of the Oilers, there was some minor controversy in their Sunday night OT loss to the Minnesota Wild. During the second period, Connor McDavid was tripped by Jared Spurgeon and hit his mouth on the ice. He briefly held his mouth, checking for blood, and then got back up and played the next shift. The Wild took another penalty, and McDavid jumped over the boards for the five-on-three, but was pulled from the game by the league’s concussion spotters. He missed the last six minutes of the second period and then returned for the third with no ill effects.
The normally reserved McDavid was vocal about his disappointment after the game. “I was pretty shocked, to be honest. I hit my mouth on the ice. You reach up and grab your mouth when you get hit in the mouth; it’s a pretty normal thing.”
“Obviously the spotter thought he knew how I was feeling. He pulled me off. A s**tty time of the game too. We had a bit of a partial five-on-three and then a power play late in the second game that if we had capitalized on that, it could have changed the game.”
The Oilers as a whole were upset about the decision, with Patrick Maroon and Milan Lucic being upset about it because it was clear that there were no averse symptoms. Lucic told Spector that he understands the liability issue, but was still upset that the Oilers “best player [wasn’t] out there… because he got hit in the mouth.”
Oilers fans were frustrated by the decision, because the previous night’s win over the Ducks saw shutdown center Ryan Kesler hit his head and stay down until a whistle was blown while he was penalty-killing. However, he got up and stayed out there for the rest of the penalty kill. Kesler does have a reputation for diving, but there still appears to be a disconnect between different spotters and what level of impact is required to pull a player.
Spector raises one last question about the incident, asking why neither 6’3, 217 lb Zack Kassian nor 6’4, 211 lb Kurtis Gabriel were pulled out for testing after spending a minute punching each other in the head. Spector believes if the NHL is serious about checking on its players’ brains, they should start checking players after fights.
Johnny Gaudreau Set To Return Three Weeks Ahead Of Schedule
According to the Calgary Flames official Twitter account, star winger Johnny Gaudreau is set to return to action and is expected to play tonight. Gaudreau underwent surgery to repair a broken finger on November 17th and at that point was expected to miss six weeks. Clearly the diminutive winger is quick to heal as he bested the initial timeline by more than three weeks.
Gaudreau was off to a somewhat slow start in 2016-17 with just 11 points in 17 games and a -10 plus-minus rating. Although the gifted forward appeared to be getting his game on track, scoring three goals and four points in the four games prior to suffering the injury. In 2015-16 Gaudreau averaged nearly a point-per-game and finished tied for sixth in the league in scoring with 78 points.
Calgary has fared surprisingly well during Gaudreau’s absence. The Flames have won six of 10 decisions and accumulated 13 points since Gaudreau went down with the injury. That push has helped the Flames resurface in the playoff race out west after a slow start to the season. Gaudreau’s return should only help Calgary in their continued pursuit of a postseason berth.